HELP STARTS HERE

Cape Girardeau County residents may find assistance with needs as varied as a new refrigerator, a child with behavioral problems or an unpaid utility bill by calling a single telephone number.

First Call for Help, a countywide information and referral service, has answered more than 3,700 such calls since its creation two years ago. The number is 334-HELP (4357).

The telephone help line provides a "one-stop shop" of sorts created to help link local residents with the approximately 1,129 non-profit and government social-service agencies and national hotlines operating in the county.

"It can be very overwhelming to not know where to turn or who to contact when you're in need of help," said Denise Wimp, who runs the daily operation. "If someone had a need and looked in their phone book, they'd see a list of all these agencies, but it wouldn't tell what they do. By calling the help line, they only have to explain their situation one time."

Work on the referral system began in August 1997 as a collaborative effort of the Area Wide United Way, Community Caring Council and East Missouri Action Agency. The groups worked together to raise money for a software program to store information and track data, find office space, hire and train a coordinator and organize a volunteer staff to create a database of all the agencies, programs and services in the area.

Wimp was hired as coordinator in 1999. She previously worked with an information and referral network designed specifically for child care in Memphis, Tenn., and as a school-based social worker for the Division of Family Services.

Because of the number of agencies, the referral area is limited to those who need services offered in Cape Girardeau County, but Wimp said she often receives requests for services in Scott County and Southern Illinois.

"One of the things we're looking at is expanding in those areas since we do receive so many calls," Wimp said. "It would take us finding out what services are available and expanding our database to include them."

Cramped quarters

Wimp is the only full-time staff person in the small, 8-by-10-foot office cluttered with paper files, computer equipment and wall calendars. Pam Lester, Wimp's part-time assistant, helps field calls most mornings.

The duo's chief duties are to answer phone calls and get the big picture of clients' problems. A single initial request often multiplies because of factors contributing to that problem, Wimp said.

After figuring out what callers need, Wimp and Lester give them detailed instructions about which agencies to call, when to call or visit and how to request help.

Clients must follow up with Wimp and Lester if they want help getting a bill paid. Clients receive a written pledge amount from each agency they are referred to that details whether the agency plans to pay all or a portion of a bill or provide another service.

Clients then contact Wimp or Lester so they can record the pledge amounts. No checks are written until First Call for Help indicates that enough pledges have been collected to handle a need.

"That way the money is very useful," Wimp said. "We didn't just throw $50 toward a $600 utility bill, which didn't help."

Switching sides

Gina King, 25, of Chaffee, Mo., was not used to being on the needy end of referrals when she first used First Call for Help seven months ago.

A case manager for the Private Industry Council in Cape Girardeau at the time, King often helped clients referred to PIC's Welfare to Work program get the educational and occupational skills they needed to find gainful employment.

She needed help raising the money to attend the second in a series of classes being offered in Jacksonville, Fla., for parents of autistic children. She had some money but could not afford to pay all the expenses, which included a $900 registration fee, airplane tickets, hotel accommodations and food.

She didn't know if First Call could help or if she qualified financially.

"People don't realize how much money is involved in having a child like Tyler," who has autism, King said. "I was really impressed with the fact that what we made was not a part of the requirements for whether they could help us."

Shari Stroup, who coordinates the LaCroix United Methodist Church A Helping Hand community outreach ministry, said King's experience is a prime example of how First Call for Help works. Stroup said the ministry works closely with First Call for Help to help clients referred to them.

"I think if we unite our forces, we can stand strong against the incredible need in this area," Stroup said. "We want to dig deeper, try harder, and get to know the individuals so we can bandage the entire wound."

Diverse callers

Wimp said the majority of requests received are for help with electric and gas bills, rent, water bills and medication costs. Callers come from all backgrounds and financial situations, but most are lower-income families led by single moms.

All calls are confidential, but demographic information about callers is typed into the database that tracks the information for a variety of reports that can be used to improve services offered in the county.

Wimp said callers may choose to remain anonymous and simply find out what agencies might be able to help them. But before any contact with an agency is made in their behalf, clients must complete an assessment at the East Missouri Action Agency, 1111 Linden.

The assessment determines whether needs are legitimate and helps to create profiles about similar needs in the community. Wimp contacts the United Way or another organization to develop programming when she discovers significant trends.

For example, organizers are developing a Budgeting Life Skills program to help families manage money. The program will include a one-day budgeting class and longer-term skill-building class that gives families practical help in creating a grocery shopping list, organizing spending, understanding the difference in wants and needs, and other issues that may impact a family budget.

"A lot of families don't understand how a bill gets so big," Wimp said. "We want to get them the education and assistance so they don't get their water shut off.".

First Call for Help quick facts

* Call 334-HELP (4357), 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

* Created in August 1999 by the Area Wide United Way, Community Caring Council and East Missouri Action Agency.

* Fiscal year 2001 budget: $40,207 largely for salaries, training, office equipment and supplies.

Statistics since August 1999

* Total calls received: 3,714.

* Total requests for help: 4,450.

* Total referrals to local agencies: 5,326.

* Total unmet needs: 858.

Demographics

* Most callers are women, many who are living with children. Single individuals also make up a large number of callers.

* The most-requested needs were for help with pending electric and gas or water shutoffs, rent, and medication expenses.

* Most of the unmet needs were for car seats for infants and toddlers, appliances, agencies who work with children's behavioral issues, and child care.

* Unmet needs were mainly from people calling from outside Cape Girardeau County or outside Missouri.